Just regular alchol from grocery store. I have dipped other lippies and hung them to dry and they were fine. This was MAC's HalfnHalf, maybe because it's a creme? I don't know but it's so mushy now

Oh well atleast it's clean!

I have nothing really to add to the conversation except alcohol, especially at a high percent, kills almost everything; I personally use it it humanely, ie. quickly, kills insects. It's pretty much an instant death. If you inhale it or somehow coat your body too much in it, you can cause damage to yourself.

70% isopropyl alcohol is better to use than 90%, 99%, or >95%. this is what we use to clean the pharmacy counters and hoods when we compound drugs, IVs, etc. the reason is because the alcholol is a bit diluted (or say less alcohol compared to the higher concentrates) so it will not evaporate as fast - leaving a longer contact time to kill the bugs as caffn8me states.

some people think that the "stronger" alcohol are better because there's more alcohol in it. quite the contrary - it evaporates/dry too fast so it doesn't allow enough contact time.

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:holysheep: will knit for M.A.C. :angel2:

Isopropyl Alcohol contains acetone and is highly toxic. It may kill bacteria, but do you really want to put that on your mouth? The safest, most effective way to sanitize cosmetics is organic alcohol for perfumery, which is generally 95% pure and denatured with lavender oil, if at all.

On the other hand, most cosmetics contain powerful chemical preservatives which keep bacteria from living in the product, meaning that sanitizing them is a little redundant. If a lipstick looks and smells fine, it probably is.

Do you have any evidence at all to support your claim that any herpes virus can survive in a medium such as MAC lipstick?

isopropyl alcohol gets metabolized to acetone in the liver - just don't drink it and you'll be fine.

http://www.famvir.com/info/living/herpes-simplex.jsp points out:
Preventing the spread of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1)

It may be wise to avoid sharing a drinking cup, cigarette, or lipstick if you have a cold sore.Avoid kissing your infant or child if you have a cold sore.

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_transmission.htm also points out:
How is herpes spread?
Direct contact with the live virus including:

• Any direct contact with an herpes infection
• Kissing, touching or caressing actively infected areas
• Sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex)
• Cold sores or mouth herpes can be spread by sharing the same drinking glass, lipstick, cigarette, etc.

sorry, i wish i had better access to articles through pubmed to show you, but i don't right now.

the herpes virus can survive on objects for several hours, maybe days (how long exactly? i don't recall) the virus needs a host cell in order to replicate, otherwise it remains dormant - that why you can never be cured of herpes. it remains dormant in your body and when it is triggered, it goes into the cells on your lips (or genitals if HSV-2) and replicates.

and FYI, dentists can prescribe Rx for treating cold sores since they treat the oral region.....and opthamologists can also treat it if it looks like it is spreading - spreading to the eyes can result in blindness.

i believe caffn8me has a strong chemisty or biology background. (correct me if i am wrong on that, but i recall reading that somewhere) as for me, i have a major in biochemistry & cellular biology as well as a doctorate in pharmacy.

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:holysheep: will knit for M.A.C. :angel2:

The above 'information' is speculative and anecdotal. To my knowledge there is no evidence to suggest that any herpes virus can survive on lipstick. In fact, there ARE studies that suggest that ingredients as common as capric acid (a derivative of coconut oil found in many lipstick formulations) destroys and/or inhibits the replication of several viruses including herpes and HIV (!). I'm not opposed to sanitizing, I just think that we should stick to facts rather than encouraging hysteria over shared lipsticks and the potential herpes threat :P

What if alcohol was left on the profuct for a prolonged period of time?

Well, since > 90% of the general public have herpes simplex virus I would rather know that ALL MA counters are doing the sanitizing, with or without the COMPLETE proof of evidence.

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The secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questionsin good company

I would hate to see that many people with HSV, although my undertsanding that is that 90% have the HSV1 antibodies - ie. not necessarily managing active outbreak in which case the prevalence is lower.

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Cullen Llandon George
My little pride & joy!!!

You are right. However having HSV1 antibodies means the individuals having been exposed to the virus, hence the virus is in his/her immune system with or without symptoms. In this case, the individuals still CAN transmit it to others by the methods mentioned before.

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The secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questionsin good company